A timeline of Willie Mays' career
Updated: 10:49 PM CDT Jun 18, 2024
A timeline of Willie Mays' career
Updated: 10:49 PM CDT Jun 18, 2024
NOW. TONIGHT INSIDE RICKWOOD FIELD FANS CHEERING AND CLAPPING IN HONOR OF BASEBALL. GREAT WILLIE MAYS. GOOD EVENING AND THANKS FOR JOINING US AT TEN. I’M SHERI FALK THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS CONFIRMED THAT MAYS PASSED AWAY TODAY OF HEART FAILURE. HE WAS 93 YEARS OLD. THE JEFFERSON COUNTY NATIVE BEGAN HIS CAREER IN THE MINOR LEAGUES, BUT HIS TALENT, GRIT AND DETERMINATION PROPELLED HIM TO HEIGHTS FEW COULD EVER IMAGINE. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT ACROSS THE MAGIC CITY, AND WE WANT TO BEGIN WITH WVTM 13 SPORTS DIRECTOR RYAN HENNESSY RYAN. WHAT WAS THE ATMOSPHERE LIKE WHEN THE NEWS BROKE OF MAYS PASSING AT THE FIELD? HE PLAYED IN SO MANY TIMES? SHERRI DEFINITELY A MOMENT. I’LL NEVER FORGET BEING HERE AT RICKWOOD FIELD, A MINOR LEAGUE GAME BETWEEN THE BIRMINGHAM BARONS AND THE MONTGOMERY BISCUITS WAS GOING ON. I WAS TALKING TO SOMEONE THAT SAID, DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS, WILLIE MAYS JUST PASSED AWAY. SOMEONE THAT GREW UP JUST MILES FROM THIS BALLPARK. YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME THE WILLIE MAYS PAVILION THEY BUILT FOR THIS WEEK. FANS WERE FINDING OUT EVERY SINGLE MINUTE, AND YOU COULD SEE THE REACTION OVER THE FACE. WE CAUGHT VIDEO OF ONE FAN. THERE WAS A MURAL AT ONE OF THESE FENCES OF THE LEGEND WILLIE MAYS, AND HE WAS HONORING HIM AFTER HE FOUND OUT OF THE SADNESS OF HIS PASSING, SO UNIQUE THAT IT WAS JUST MILES FROM THE BALLPARK WHERE HE GREW UP. THE GENTLEMAN TOLD US THAT WILLIE MAYS JUST JUST PASSED, SO IT WAS IT WAS PRETTY, UH, A SOMBER MOMENT, A SAD MOMENT, UH, ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY THAT, UH, RICKWOOD FIELD IS BEING HONORED. UH, I GUESS THE LORD CALLED HIM HOME ON THIS DAY. SO, UM, WE’RE SADDENED, BUT, UH, WE KNOW THAT HE’S IN A BETTER PLACE, SO WE JUST THANK GOD FOR HIS MEMORY AND FOR WHAT HE STOOD FOR. AS FAR AS BASEBALL AND FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. WILLIE MAYS, AN ABSOLUTE LEGEND, IS 3293 HITS, OVER 650 HOME RUNS, 660 TO BE EXACT. IT’S 1909 RBIS, A 24 TIME ALL-STAR, 12 GOLD GLOVES AND WE ALL KNEW HIM FOR HIS GOLDEN GLOVE WORLD SERIES CHAMPION IN 1954. INDUCTED INTO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME IN 1979, BUT BEING HERE THIS WEEK, IT’S JUST BEEN INCRED
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A timeline of Willie Mays' career
Updated: 10:49 PM CDT Jun 18, 2024
Video above: Fans at Rickwood Field stand to honor Willie MaysMLB legend Willie Mays has died at the age of 93.The San Francisco Giants announced his passing in a post on X Tuesday evening.Mays, widely regarded as the greatest living baseball player at the time of his death, began his professional career at Alabama's Rickwood Field, playing for the Birmingham Black Barons when he was just a teenager.A timeline of Willie Mays’ career:1931 (May 6) — Born in Westfield, Alabama1948 — Joins Birmingham Black Barons of Negro leagues1950 — Signs with New York Giants for $4,0001951 (May 25) — Major league debut1951 (May 28) — First major league hit after 0-for-12 start — a home run off Milwaukee’s Warren Spahn1951 (Oct. 3) — In on-deck circle when Bobby Thomson hits Shot Heard ‘Round the World1951 — National League Rookie of the Year1952-53 — Serves in the U.S. Army1954 (Sept. 29) — Famed over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the World Series.1954 — National League MVP1961 (April 30) — Hits four home runs against Milwaukee1963 (Feb. 20) — Signs record contract of $105,000 for a season1963 (July 2) — Hits 16th-inning home run off Spahn in Giants’ 1-0 victory over Braves1965 (Sept. 13) — 500th homer, off Houston’s Don Nottebart1965 — National League MVP1969 (Sept. 22) — 600th homer, off San Diego’s Mike Corkins1970 (July 18) — 3,000th hit, off Montreal’s Mike Wegener1972 (May 11) — Traded to New York Mets for minor league pitcher Charlie Williams and cash1973 (July 24) — 24th and last All-Star Game1973 (Aug. 17) — 660th and last home run, off Cincinnati’s Don Gullett1973 (Sept. 20) — Says he will retire after the season1973 (Oct. 14) — Final hit, off Oakland’s Rollie Fingers, Game 2 of World Series1979 — Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in first year of eligibility1979 — Banned from the game by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for holding a casino job while still involved in baseball1985 — Reinstated by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth2015 — Presented Presidential Medal of Freedom2024 (June 18) — Dies at age 93
Video above: Fans at Rickwood Field stand to honor Willie Mays
MLB legend Willie Mays has died at the age of 93.
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The San Francisco Giants announced his passing in a post on X Tuesday evening.
Mays, widely regarded as the greatest living baseball player at the time of his death, began his professional career at Alabama's Rickwood Field, playing for the Birmingham Black Barons when he was just a teenager.
A timeline of Willie Mays’ career:
- 1931 (May 6) — Born in Westfield, Alabama
- 1948 — Joins Birmingham Black Barons of Negro leagues
- 1950 — Signs with New York Giants for $4,000
- 1951 (May 25) — Major league debut
- 1951 (May 28) — First major league hit after 0-for-12 start — a home run off Milwaukee’s Warren Spahn
- 1951 (Oct. 3) — In on-deck circle when Bobby Thomson hits Shot Heard ‘Round the World
- 1951 — National League Rookie of the Year
- 1952-53 — Serves in the U.S. Army
- 1954 (Sept. 29) — Famed over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the World Series.
- 1954 — National League MVP
- 1961 (April 30) — Hits four home runs against Milwaukee
- 1963 (Feb. 20) — Signs record contract of $105,000 for a season
- 1963 (July 2) — Hits 16th-inning home run off Spahn in Giants’ 1-0 victory over Braves
- 1965 (Sept. 13) — 500th homer, off Houston’s Don Nottebart
- 1965 — National League MVP
- 1969 (Sept. 22) — 600th homer, off San Diego’s Mike Corkins
- 1970 (July 18) — 3,000th hit, off Montreal’s Mike Wegener
- 1972 (May 11) — Traded to New York Mets for minor league pitcher Charlie Williams and cash
- 1973 (July 24) — 24th and last All-Star Game
- 1973 (Aug. 17) — 660th and last home run, off Cincinnati’s Don Gullett
- 1973 (Sept. 20) — Says he will retire after the season
- 1973 (Oct. 14) — Final hit, off Oakland’s Rollie Fingers, Game 2 of World Series
- 1979 — Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in first year of eligibility
- 1979 — Banned from the game by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for holding a casino job while still involved in baseball
- 1985 — Reinstated by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth
- 2015 — Presented Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 2024 (June 18) — Dies at age 93
